Recently, a Belgian student took a summer job at the construction site of a local brewery. While digging sewers, he accidentally discovered a hidden gold vault that had been concealed for over a century. The current market value of this gold is estimated at up to 9 million euros, approximately 70.19 million RMB.
Kobi, the 18-year-old involved, recounted the entire process of discovering the treasure in an interview with the media afterward.
He said that when he first dug them out, he thought they were just scattered 1-euro coins and didn't pay much attention. Then, his fingertips touched a solid gold bar. As they continued digging, the two realized that the amount of gold hidden below was far greater than they had anticipated. It wasn't just scattered fragments of gold, but an entire private vault.
According to subsequent corroborating evidence from local historical records,The vault contained a large collection of ancient gold coins, gold nuggets, and standardized gold bars with unique serial numbers. It is believed to be the private property of the brewery's owner from the late 19th century, who hid it in the cellar of his villa. Later, geological changes buried the entire cellar beneath the soil layer where the sewer construction was taking place, leaving it undiscovered for over a hundred years.。
Hanna Oliwier, spokesperson for the East Flanders Prosecutor's Office in Brussels, stated that the immediate priority for relevant authorities is to verify the origin of each piece of gold individually. They need to confirm whether these items are historically recorded stolen properties or proceeds from past criminal activities. The subsequent process of determining ownership will be lengthy and could even lead to highly complex civil disputes.
This is because the construction contractor for the site, the welfare organization responsible for the project, and even any descendants of the VA family, who owned the brewery back then, all have legal grounds to claim partial ownership of this treasure.
As for whether Kobi, the 18-year-old student who found the gold, will successfully receive his share of the treasure, the relevant procedures are still ongoing (primarily verifying the source of the gold). No one can predict the final outcome in advance.